MicroRNAs: Important Players in Breast Cancer Angiogenesis and Therapeutic Targets

Bashdar Mahmud Hussen; Sara Tharwat Abdullah; Mohammed Fatih Rasul; Abbas Salihi; Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard; Hazha Jamal Hidayat; Mohammad Taheri

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2021.764025

MicroRNAs: Important Players in Breast Cancer Angiogenesis and Therapeutic Targets

Front Mol Biosci. 2021 Oct 26:8:764025. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.764025. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Bashdar Mahmud Hussen¹, Sara Tharwat Abdullah², Mohammed Fatih Rasul³, Abbas Salihi^{4

5}, Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard⁶, Hazha Jamal Hidayat⁷, Mohammad Taheri^{8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.
² Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.
³ Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Science, Tishk International University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq.
⁴ Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq.
⁵ Center of Research and Strategic Studies, Lebanese French University, Erbil, Iraq.
⁶ Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁷ Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq.
⁸ Skull Base Research Center, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁹ Institute of Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.

Abstract

The high incidence of breast cancer (BC) is linked to metastasis, facilitated by tumor angiogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that have an essential role in gene expression and are significantly linked to the tumor development and angiogenesis process in different types of cancer, including BC. There's increasing evidence showed that various miRNAs play a significant role in disease processes; specifically, they are observed and over-expressed in a wide range of diseases linked to the angiogenesis process. However, more studies are required to reach the best findings and identify the link among miRNA expression, angiogenic pathways, and immune response-related genes to find new therapeutic targets. Here, we summarized the recent updates on miRNA signatures and their cellular targets in the development of breast tumor angiogenetic and discussed the strategies associated with miRNA-based therapeutic targets as anti-angiogenic response.

Keywords: angiogenesis; breast cancer; microRNA; therapeutic target 3; vascular endothelial growth factor.

Publication types

Review